How to do a Power Skips
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
Workouts with Power Skips
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Power Skips are an explosive plyometric exercise that primarily targets your quads, hamstrings, and calves. This compound movement involves a powerful push off the ground with one leg, aiming for maximum height with each skip. Power Skips can help improve lower body power, explosiveness, and coordination, making it a valuable addition to athletic training and conditioning programs.
- Stand in a neutral position with your knees bent and slightly wider than your hips.
- Step forward, engaging your forward leg’s quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves to jump into the air. Focus on jumping high rather than far.
- Drive your other knee into the air while driving your arm up in an exaggerated running motion with your opposite arm and knee following the movement.
- Keep your knee elevated as you land back on the same foot you used to take off.
- Drive your raised knee back towards the ground, and repeat this exercise on the opposite side.
Sets & Reps Calculator
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Alternatives & Variations to Power Skips
1. Air Squats
92.1 mSCORESWAPPED 265 TIMESAir Squats are a bodyweight variation of Squats. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. Without any added resistance this is easily one of the most beginner friendly exercises out there. It’s a great way to start building strength, and working your way towards more advanced variations.
2. Static Lunge
19.4 mSCORESWAPPED 189 TIMESStatic Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. By keeping your feet in a fixed position and lowering your body, you can focus on muscle activation without the added complexity of stepping motions. This variation helps improve balance and stability, and is excellent for building lower body strength without additional equipment.
3. Side Lunge
79.4 mSCORESWAPPED 152 TIMESSide Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, this compound exercise primarily targets your quadriceps. By stepping to the side instead of forward or backwards, you can further recruit smaller muscles around your hips like your Adductors (the muscle that brings your legs together).
4. Dumbbell Squat
94.1 mSCORESWAPPED 132 TIMESDumbbell Squat is a variation of the more standard Squat. Like other variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The advantage of using dumbbells rather than a barbell is that you have more freedom in your range of motion which can make this a more accessible variation for anyone with mobility limitations. With that freedom comes a bit more instability with this exercise though, which can help you further improve your squat for, and build the strength needed for heavier, or more complex variations.
5. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
87.9 mSCORESWAPPED 118 TIMESDumbbell Goblet Squat is a variation on the more standard Front Squat. Like other squat variations, this compound exercise primarily targets the quadriceps. Goblet squats are beneficial because they require less upper body mobility in order to keep the weight in the proper position compared to using a barbell.
6. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 117 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
7. Dumbbell Sumo Squat
81 mSCORESWAPPED 107 TIMESA squat exercise performed with dumbbells, in a wide-legged stance to target the legs and glutes.
8. Mountain Climber
74.9 mSCORESWAPPED 100 TIMESMountain Climber is a compound movement that involves holding a high plank or push up position, and alternating bringing your legs forward toward your chest. Holding a high plank position will already recruit your core to keep your back straight. By cycling your legs, you add more instability to the movement, as well as increase the intensity of the exercise itself.
9. Pause Squat
71.3 mSCORESWAPPED 97 TIMESPause Squat is a variation of the standard Squat. Like other Squats, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. By pausing at the bottom of the movement, you increase the time under tension, which can help improve muscle endurance and strength. This also ensures you maintain proper form and engage your muscles more effectively throughout the squat.
10. Lunge
90.8 mSCORESWAPPED 93 TIMESLunges are one of the most common lower body exercises out there. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your quads. In order to return to a standing position with this exercise you need to engage your quads in order to push yourself back up. This further emphasizes your quadriceps compared to other Lunge variations, however this also places more tension on your knee. By stepping forward with a single leg taking most of the load, you can more easily identify, and address any discrepancies in mobility or strength between sides.